How Australians Use Their Time presents selected results from the 2006 Time Use Survey. The survey was conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) across all States and Territories and collected information from people aged 15 years and over. Comparisons are provided with results from the 1992 and 1997 Time Use Surveys to show the changes in time use over the fifteen year period.

Time use surveys collect detailed information on the daily activity patterns of people in Australia. The information is used to examine how people allocate time to activities such as paid and unpaid work and to analyse such issues as gender equality, care giving and balancing family and paid work responsibilities. The balance between paid work, unpaid work and leisure are important for a person's well-being and economic welfare. Patterns of time use have assumed increasing importance as a means to measure the productive value of households as economic units. The data collected by this latest survey will be used by the ABS to derive a monetary value for all forms of unpaid work to update measures that assist analysis of the national accounts for the household sector. ABS publications draw extensively on information provided freely by individuals, businesses, governments and other organisations. Their continued cooperation is very much appreciated: without it, the wide range of statistics published by the ABS would not be available. Information received by the ABS is treated in strict confidence as required by the Census and Statistics Act 1905.

INQUIRIES

For further information about these and related statistics, contact the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or Elisabeth Davis on Canberra (02) 6252 7880.

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